Ala Moana Bowls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and let’s break down what we’ve got comin’ our way. The water’s sitting at 81°, just a touch above the average for this time of year, no big drama there.

Honestly, the whole 16-day window looks pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions here at Ala Moana Bowls (Oahu). The wind is stuck in a cross-off from the ENE for almost the entire run, and it’s not light; it’s a fresh breeze or stronger most days. That’s gonna put a nasty texture on everything.

The first few days up to around August 17th see some long-period south swell mixing in, with period up to 18 seconds, and combined energy reading 911 on Wednesday the 12th – that’s moderate energy with decent push underneath. But the wind is the killer. From the 14th onward, we get a big spike of short-period east-northeast windswell, hitting 13ft on the Saturday afternoon (August 15th) with energy roaring up to 2563. That’s strong, heavy, and messy. That kind of size, with that short period and that much wind… honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. No way that’s gonna shape up for a good wave.

By August 17th, the size drops back, and we see a shift back to some longer-period SSW swell from around the 19th to the 27th, with periods between 14 and 18 seconds. The swell heights are small, mostly 2ft to 4ft, but the energy stays in the moderate range (between 300 and 779). That long period is a tease; it’ll wrap into this reef break better than the short stuff, but the wind never really lets up. It’s still cross-off from the ENE at 12 to 18 mph. The forecast notes are all “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.” There are no real standouts here. The best you could hope for is maybe a very early morning session on one of the smaller, cleaner-looking days around August 19th or 20th when the wind is lighter (12 mph) and the SSW swell is at 16 to 18 seconds, but don’t get your hopes up. It’s a long, frustrating gap of mediocrity.

So, the bottom line: we’ve got a nearly blank run of 16 days with no good surf on the table. This area tends to stay poor for a stretch like this; the conditions just aren’t lining up.

Rusty.

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